One of the Most Iconic Comedy Characters of the ‘80s and ‘90s Started as a Character in Regional TV Commercials -

“KnoWhutIMean, Vern?” If you know those words, well, congratulations, you are part of the greatest generation ever! Arguably, I suppose, but those who know, know. The man behind those words is Ernest P. Worrell. And the man behind Ernest is Jim Varney, who created the character for a series of local commercials. Varney and his intrusive but lovable Ernest, somehow, turned the proverbial 15 minutes of fame into years of featuring in national commercials, a TV series, and a series of films. And it’s a fascinating journey from local pitch clown to iconic comic character.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, in July 1949, Varney developed a love for acting in his childhood years and began acting in local theater when he was only 8-years-old. Even then, Varney had a penchant for memorizing long monologues and dialogue in plays, leading to his first professional role as Puck in William Shakespeare‘s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He began performing at the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky, in the early 1970s, often traveling to Tennessee on tours for productions. It would be in Tennessee where Varney’s life would take an unexpected and successful turn. He was working for Opryland in Nashville when his girlfriend at the time had an audition for the Carden & Cherry Advertising Agency. He accompanied her to the audition, where he caught the eye of the agency, who thought he had a look that fit a character they had developed called Sergeant Glory, a pitchman for Purity Dairies. They encouraged him to try out for the part, and he got it, beginning a long and fruitful relationship with the firm (there’s no word on if the girlfriend got the part she was trying out for, but I’m sure it was a quiet ride home nevertheless).

In 1980, the agency was hired to create a campaign for Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green. One problem: the park was in need of major renovations, meaning they had to promote the park without actually showing the park. They turned to Varney, who came up with the idea of a character that talked up the park while wearing a Beech Bend hat. A handful of spots were created, and nothing more was thought of it until a year later, when Purity Dairies began working with Carden & Cherry on a new campaign. They played the Beech Bend ads for the company, who saw something in the character they thought would appeal to kids and adults alike. Thus was born Ernest P. Worrell, with the denim vest, baseball cap, wide, toothy smile, and, of course, the iconic catchphrase “KnowhutImean, Vern?”

Ernest P. Worrell Goes Viral

Within a year, Varney appeared in commercials for nearly a dozen different dairies, then expanded into commercials for other companies. Per the previously cited WKRN, by 1985 the Ernest character had gone viral, appearing in commercials nationwide (over two decades, more than 2,000 commercials were made with Ernest, including spots for Sprite, Keystone beer, and the Atlanta Braves). Everyone was in earnest for Ernest, and a number of requests had to be turned away, not only for time but due to conflicts with competing brands. An appearance at the Indy 500 Festival Parade in 1985 by Varney’s Ernest was a hit, inciting a reaction larger than that of Grand Marshal Mickey Mouse.

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“I order the food, you cook the food, and the customer gets the food. We do that for 40 years, and then we die.”

The reaction didn’t go unnoticed by Disney, and they promptly made a deal with Carden & Cherry and Varney to bring Ernest P. Worrell to the movies in four feature films. The first, Ernest Goes to Camp, was released in 1987, and the four films grossed over $90 million. 1993’s Ernest Rides Again was the character’s last appearance in movie theaters, but four more films released directly to video kept the character alive. In 1988, Ernest made it to Saturday morning television with Hey Vern, It’s Ernest!, a one-season children’s sketch comedy series that would land Varney a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series. Roles outside of Ernest were few and far between for Varney, but his role as Jed Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies movie was well received, and his Slinky Dog from the Toy Story films introduced generations to the actor’s folksy southern voice. Sadly, Varney passed away in February 2000, and Ernest P. Worrell with him.

But TV is filled with iconic characters from commercials over the years, the likes of Tony the Tiger and Stephanie Courtney‘s Flo, the Progressive Insurance saleswoman, and attempts to bring an advertising character to another medium have largely failed (we’re looking at you, Cavemen). So why did Ernest P. Worrell succeed? It’s a little cliché, but true, to say that Varney was Ernest, and vice versa. Varney brought real heart to the character, the same heart he exhibited in real life, visiting children’s hospitals and being genuine. He embodied the underdog, and gave children a character they could relate to that one could laugh at or with in equal measure.